Partners

Abstract:
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) using noble metal-based catalysts faced significant commercialization challenges due to the scarcity and substantial expense of these noble metals. Thus, the development of an efficient OER electrocatalyst for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers is still a challenging task. Herein, we present a facile approach to preparing cobalt phthalocyanine anchored on N-doped Co3O4 carbon network (Co3O4-NC) derived from metal organic framework (MOF). This strategy facilitates fast electron transfer and modulates the electronic structure. This improved electron transport induced by CoPc plays a significant role in enhancing OER, requiring only an overpotential of 1.2 V to deliver a current density of 1000 mA cm−2 with excellent stability. The Co3O4-NC2 Pc catalyst shows excellent durability during PEM water electrolysis and delivers industrially required current density of 1000 mA cm−2 at a potential of 1.66 V, outperforming commercial RuO2. The results of this research are twofold. Firstly, they promote green and low-carbon development. Secondly, they inject new vitality into the development of hydrogen energy technologies.

Keywords:
noble-metal free catalyst, oxygen evolution, phthalocyanine doped metal oxide, proton exchange membrane, water electrolysis